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Classifying Criminal Cases

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There are two different ways to classify crimes in a court of law. One being criminal and the other civil. In this paper I will explain the difference between civil and criminal law and how these cases are handled.

Criminal law pertains to a crime or an act against the public rather than one individual. The government will bring legal action against the person for committing a crime. If the person is found guilty, the defendant may have to pay some type of a fine, serve time in jail, or be placed on probation (msbar.org). A civil case is a dispute between two people, or parties, on a certain issue. One party can sue the other, and it is then up to a jury to determine if there is liability. The court may order the guilty party to pay money to the other party or to fulfill an obligation.

Civil cases are brought by an individual or corporation wanting to collect money that is owed or money due to damages for a crime. A criminal case is brought on by the local, state or federal government …show more content…

He then drove over 90 mph on a two lane road, and swerved around at least 12 other motorists. He caused cars to stop, as he ran through red lights. The lead officer finally rammed Scott which caused him to run off the road and crash. Scott was rendered a quadriplegic due to the accident . He sued Deputy Harris for violating his Fourth Amendment rights and that it was not reasonable to use deadly force to end the pursuit because he had only committed a traffic violation (Scott v. Harris).
The element of mens rea is when Mr. Scott decided to flee from the police in a routine traffic stop.This case would be classified as mala prohibita because Mr. Scott decided to run from the police he did it anyway even though it is prohibited by law to do so. This case also has actus reus which is a guilty act. The guilty act was Mr. Scott speeding and fleeing from the police(crime

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